CLDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine and the US Embassy Kyiv, supported the travel of the Government of Ukraine (GOU) delegation to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) Committee Meeting that took place on February 20-23, 2017 at WTO Secretariat, Geneva.

On February 9, CLDP and the Kuwait Commercial Arbitration Center co-hosted the third annual regional arbitration roundtable. The program included more than 60 arbitrators from around the MENA region and focused on the review and legal analysis of the Vis-Moot simulated case study as well as the role of arbitrators, particularly in addressing substantive and procedural issues. Participants went on to arbitrate in one or more Vis Pre-Moot competition round.

On February 7-11 in Kuwait City, Kuwait, in coordination with the Kuwait International Law School (KILAW), UNCITRAL, International Court of Arbitration (ICC), MENA Chambers, the University of Pittsburg (CILE), and Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR), CLDP hosted the 7th Annual Middle East Vis Pre-Moot. The Pre-Moot was a 5-day regional event that brought together 15 teams from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates to compete. The program developed the oral advocacy skills of the law students and allowed them to practice their argumentation in front of over 60 international and regional arbitrators and practitioners.

CLDP, in cooperation with the WTO Secretariat and the International Trade Centre, held a consultation in Geneva to assist the Government of Afghanistan in developing the knowledge and expertise to implement its trade commitments, to participate as an active member, and to fully realize the benefits of its recent WTO membership.

On January 9-11, 2017, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), in cooperation with U.S Embassy Manama, Bahrain’s National Assembly, and the Judicial & Legal Studies Institute (JLSI) of Bahrain, conducted a workshop on legislative drafting focusing on international trade agreements. Twenty-eight legal and economic advisors from the Council of Representatives, Shura Council, and Legislation & Legal Opinion Commission attended the workshop, where they exchanged ideas and concerns related to international trade, attracting private investment to Bahrain, and the potential impact of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) on Bahrain’s economy, as well as discussing Bahrain’s obligations under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The workshop provided the legal and economic advisors the opportunity to participate in active discussions, expert-led lectures, and problem-solving exercises, thereby increasing the advisors’ capacity to address trade challenges as the country engages more in worldwide commerce. The program was featured in the Council of Representatives’ social media, including several videos and photos featuring program participants and opening remarks of Aimee Cutrona, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy Manama and Ali Al-Aradi, Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives.

CLDP experts included Ian Fergusson, an expert in WTO agreements and international trade at the Congressional Research Service, and Adam Boltik, an international trade agreement and government procurement expert at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. The experts provided substantive overview of the WTO, including cooperative conflict resolution mechanisms in which signatory nations engage to resolve trade conflicts. Furthermore, experts discussed the U.S. Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The participants were able to apply the lectures in small group discussions whereby they analyzed case studies based on plausible real world trade challenges, and made recommendations on how to resolve them. In addition, the experts covered procurement ethics, assessing economic impacts of entering into free trade agreements, and how to address possible amendment issues. Participants were also required to review related agreements and draft responses to exercises provided prior to the workshop. In addition, the participants were briefed on the World Bank Doing Business rankings, focusing on the Trading Across Borders factor and Bahrain’s need for a single window system.

From November 29-December 1, the U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Sri Lanka Department of Commerce held three seminars on trade policy with more than 70 key decision makers and technical experts from various Sri Lankan ministries, agencies, research institutes, trade policy think tanks, and Chambers of Commerce.

“Sri Lanka can count on the United States as a partner to help unleash the trade potential of Sri Lankan companies,” said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Atul Keshap.

Sessions over the three days covered skills development in quantitative trade policy analysis, a discussion of trade negotiation strategies, and a discussion of the potential for formulation of a Sri Lanka national trade policy.

“It’s nice to be surrounded by friendly faces as we have similar jobs, struggle with the same challenges and realize the value of trade,” said Katrice Kelly, Team Lead for Negotiations at the U.S. Department of Commerce at the International Trade Administration.

The three-day seminar also included experts from the U.S. International Trade Administration Office of Trade Negotiations and Analysis, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and World Bank. Sessions covered resources for market analysis, economic modeling, trade strategy development, and public-private cooperation.

“As public servants we’re committed to continual learning and consulting all stakeholders in formulating trade policy,” said Sonali Wijeratne, the Director General of the Sri Lanka Department of Commerce.

CLDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine and the Ministry of Agriculture, supported the travel of the Government of Ukraine (GOU) delegation to the Agriculture Committee Meeting that took place on November 9-10, 2016 at WTO Secretariat, Geneva.

CLDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine and the US Embassy Kyiv, supported the travel of the Government of Ukraine (GOU) delegation to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) Committee Meeting to take place on October 17-20, 2016 at WTO Secretariat, Geneva. The GOU delegation consisted of two Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine officials. They attended the GPA Committee meeting and participated in bilateral negotiations with the U.S. and other delegations.